in International Journal of River Basin Management (2015), 13(1), 123-135

There is a wide recognition of the watershed scale as the right scale for global water management, notably in the context of the WFD. Hence, it often refers to international management and therefore to ... [more ▼]

There is a wide recognition of the watershed scale as the right scale for global water management, notably in the context of the WFD. Hence, it often refers to international management and therefore to various pre-existing regional management tools, models or even objectives. In this study we aim at describing the collaborative assessment of climate change’s effect on low flow regime and the consequences on three water related sectors: drinking water production, agriculture and electricity production. The paper highlights the choices that were made during the study that involved scientific teams, managers and stakeholders from the four main countries of the Meuse Basin. It shows that the methodological choices were operational and aimed at preserving existing methods and knowledge within each country. They led to hydrological scenarios comparable to the main available ensemble approaches and to methodologies well accepted within the concerned countries. The results of the project highlight and quantify the water scarcity that the three sectors will have to face by the end of the century mainly regarding the electricity production. They also show that common allocation rules are necessary to manage water demand during future low flow periods. [less ▲]

Most large river basins in the world are transboundary. Experience with such basins emphasizes the urgent need for more efficient transnational water management. This book details recent initiatives ... [more ▼]

Most large river basins in the world are transboundary. Experience with such basins emphasizes the urgent need for more efficient transnational water management. This book details recent initiatives undertaken in the Meuse basin (North-West Europe) to develop a transnational adaptation strategy to deal with the impact of climate change. In the 21st century, floods in the Meuse basin are expected to become more intense and more frequent, while summers will be hotter and drier. The transnational adaptation strategy combines scientific research to fill important gaps in knowledge, innovative natural and structural water retention measures, and enhanced (transnational) crisis management. As a scientific basis for this adaptation strategy, common climate and hydrological scenarios have been developed, as well as more uniform methods for transnational flood risk assessment and mapping. The contributions in Transboundary Water Management in a Changing Climate were presented at the final conference of the European project AMICE (Sedan, France, March 2013). They demonstrate that the development of a vision at the level of the river basin, rather than within the national or regional boundaries, faces many practical challenges but offers unique opportunities for adaptation. Covering a wide range of topics, from the latest advances in climate and hydrological research to practical implementation of adaptation measures and communication issues, Transboundary Water Management in a Changing Climate offers a genuine bridge between research and practice, and also reports on similar developments in other river basins. [less ▲]

The Meuse river basin is shared by five countries. Climate change in the future decades could either lead to a dryer or a wetter situation. In order to build an adaptation strategy that would cope with ... [more ▼]

The Meuse river basin is shared by five countries. Climate change in the future decades could either lead to a dryer or a wetter situation. In order to build an adaptation strategy that would cope with both scenarios and that is agreed at the international level, water experts have set-up the AMICE project. Quantifying the flood damages is an important part of this project. It required much negotiation at every intermediary step, from the definition of climate scenarios, to the hydraulic modeling and the agreement on damage functions. [less ▲]